Thursday, September 2, 2010

Taking a page from the Sarah Palin book (pamphlet) on how to bash the media, Chris Zimmerman, Metro Board member from Arlington, takes aim at the press for being part of Metro's problems. Next thing you know, he'll be wheeling out the "lamestream media" line.

“It used to be that you could learn a lot about Metro by reading the Post. That’s not what the newspaper is doing anymore,” Zimmerman says. “…The Examiner isn’t interested in Metro getting better, it’s interested in having something to kick. It’s an ideological mission for them. And I think the Post is just looking for a headline that will allow them to sell past the Examiner.”

What sorts of stories would Chris like to see in the press? Should the 6/22 articles have been headlined along the lines of "Hundreds Survive Metro Crash?" Should the Ludwig story be recast as a rider-friendly cost cutting move that saved Metro money? What about all of the willfully dangerous driving/criminal incidents? Should those stories have been spun to say that Metro is committed to the development of its workforce? C'mon!

If anything the press is and has been too soft on Metro. Besides, if Zimmerman wants affirmation for the "great" job he's doing, he knows where to go.

Chris should have followed the advice of an old saying: "Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

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